The First of Seven Regional Stops Highlights Some of the Sport's Strongest Talent Consisting of Shops from Oceanside to Imperial Beach

San Clemente, Calif. (March 9, 2011) — The first stop on SURFER’s 2011 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge (OSSC) is this Friday, March 11th at Seaside Reef in Cardiff, California. For the second time in the contest’s history, surfers from the Southwest region get to showcase their talents on their own turf.

Team Hansen's 2010 whammy-rider, Austin Ware.

Last year, the contest split Southern California into two separate regions: the Southwest, including all of San Diego, and the West, covering Orange County to Los Angeles. The decision proved to be the right one, with numerous Surf Shop Challenge stars putting on a show during a perfect spring day in Cardiff. At the end of a fierce competition between defending National Champions, Surf Ride from Oceanside, and Hansen’s Surf Shop from Encinitas, Hansen’s claimed the coveted win, certifying that the region deserved special attention on the OSSC circuit. “Last year the regional Shop Challenge was a lot of fun. We took the win at Seaside thanks to Austin Ware blowing up and posting some big scores,” said team Hansen’s Jesse Wells. “Ryan Burch and Eric Snortum were also killing it at their home break!”

Former National Champions Hansen’s Surf Shop, and repeat regional winners like Surf Ride, are sure to drive the level of competition further than ever this year. “Surf Ride is our biggest rival since they are right down the road form us,” said Wells. “It’s some good friendly competition. It will be a bummer not to have Austin on the team this year, but we’re still confident with JD Lewis joining us.” Traditionally, it is the two titans — Surf Ride (2009’s Southwest Regional Champs and the ’08 National Champs) and Hansen’s (2007 National Champs) with the long time runner-up Sun Diego leading the charge and they could once again be the three in contention for the win.

About Surf Shop Challenge:
Originally conceived to provide a fun and competitive format for the hardcore surf shop riders, the SURFER Shop Team Challenge was one of the most popular and exciting Southern California contests of the early 1980s. Through the years the contest has evolved, with five qualifying regional events around the country, culminating in a national championship at the famed Huntington Beach Pier in sunny Southern California. The underlying principles, however, have remained the same. The Oakley Surf Shop Challenge is still about giving back to the shops, the true backbone of the industry and the heart of the sport of surfing. Each year the competition level rises, the stakes become greater and the prizes become bigger.

About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solve with innovation and wrap invention in art. Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Additional information is available at www.oakley.com.

About SURFER:
In 1960, SURFER Magazine began as the original. After a long history of delivering provocative and insightful editorial features, revealing interviews and award winning state-of-the-art photography, SURFER remains the authoritative voice of the surfing world and thus earned the moniker “the bible of the sport.” The SURFER brand has also grown to include Surfermag.com,Fantasy Surfer,The Hot 100,My SURFER Cover and a myriad of SURFER message boards. All of these assets combine to make the SURFER network the most current and reliable channel of information to the surf community. The magazine is published by Source Interlink’s Action Sports Group (ASG)/Grind Networks, which reaches more than 10 million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. For more information, visit surfermag.com